1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a browsing of a multi-media data, such as a moving picture, and more particularly, to system, method, and multi-level object data structure thereof for browsing a multi-media data, which permits to browse detailed supplementary information on each object included in the multi-media data in displaying the multi-media data on request from a user.
2. Background of the Related Art
Recently, as searching techniques for digital moving picture are developed, there have been active suggestions on browsing or searching contents based moving picture. As typical examples, there are a browsing by using a key frame disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,767, or an object based browsing method disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,117. In the browsing by using a key frame, a few typical important scenes/key frames are suggested, and reproduced in an entire moving picture, to search the moving picture. However, since this method is conducted merely relying on the key frames, it is difficult to expect a search according to actual development of contents of the moving picture. On the other hand, in the object based moving picture searching, the moving picture is depicted and searched with reference to entrance and exit of different objects, such as characters, in the moving picture. However, most of the objects defined in the object based moving picture searching is foreground objects, of which structures are not appropriate for expressing place information which is background objects. Therefore, the background information, such as a place, can not be used in the related art, because, though a portion a specific object enters on the picture may be defined as an actual entry section in the case of foreground objects, the place is defined as one entry section since the place is the same as far as one scene is continued even if a camera angle is changed. Therefore, the place has implication different from a simple entry section in other foreground object as an implication that the places are the same is reflected to an object entry section even if appearances of an object on the picture are different. And, even though a foreground information with a motion is information only on movement of the object, place information with a motion implies a movement of the camera. Such place information becomes more useful when the place information is managed as a separate object. However, the watcher may want supplementary information on an actual place, i.e., where is the place the picture is taken, or other supplementary information on the actual place. For example, though a café where the heroine drops in is place information of the moving picture contents, the watcher may want supplementary information, such as the place the café actually is, or an introduction on an address or place (or a sketch map). Or the watcher may want detailed supplementary information on a particular object in the moving picture in view of contents of the moving picture, or actual supplementary information (for example, name, brief profile, and information on a home page, an address, or fan club, for fans). However, the related art method has a problem in that a searching or browsing method which can meet the aforementioned users wants can not be provided.